What is CLA, anyway?

CLA is an important nutrient that most people consume in regular diets of meat and diary. Research is still ongoing to identify its true benefits, but CLA weight-loss supplements have become more popular as word has gotten out that it can help people meet fitness goals.

So, um, should we all be eating more Cheez Whiz?

A spokesperson for Kraft Heinz, owner of Cheez Whiz, declined to comment on the product’s CLA levels. But health experts say just because the product is high in CLA doesn’t mean Cheez Whiz should be considered healthy.

“Most studies recommend about 3 grams of CLA daily to achieve even a modest fat loss. Average adult CLA intake is around 0.2 grams a day from dietary sources.”

“I will never promote the intake of Cheez Whiz,” said Dusty Marie Narducci, assistant professor at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine who also is a family medicine and primary care sports medicine clinician and USF athletic team physician. “The other ingredients of Cheez Whiz will most likely counteract any health benefits potentially associated with the high level of CLA.”

Technically considered trans fatty acids, CLA isn’t classified as a trans fat by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It was designated as “Generally Regarded as Safe” by the FDA in 2008, exempting it from being listed as a trans fat on nutritional labels, according to a report published in the journal Nutrients.

Eating too much CLA, which could come in the form of Cheez Whiz, could cause fatigue and gastrointestinal issues.

“Much of the hype came from the results of animal studies that demonstrated things like lower food intake and less production of fat,” said Ali Webster, registered dietician and nutrition communications associate director at the International Food Information Council Foundation, a nonprofit partially funded by food companies. “But, these results haven’t been consistently replicated in humans.”

There are some negative side effects from overdoing it on CLA.

CLA supplements may also contain additives that users should be aware of, though the risk is low, said Stephan Esser, a Jacksonville, Florida-based sports and spine physician, and team physician at the University of North Florida.

Most sports medicine doctors do not recommend CLA supplements as a “primary intervention,” Esser said, since “the health benefits of CLA are not definitively proven in the scientific literature.”

When it comes to weight loss and fitness, Esser said, “Many people are looking for a miracle cure. Although CLA can help mildly accelerate weight loss compared to placebo ― along the lines of 0.2 pounds per week or 3 pounds total more than placebo ― no supplement can make up for a healthy lifestyle or be as powerful as excellent nutrition and daily exercise to achieve weight loss goals.”

Here’s how a healthy dose of CLA could change your body composition.

Experts attribute the mixed science on CLA’s effectiveness to the fact that many studies have been animal-focused, and the results may not necessarily apply to humans, Webster said.

“Even though significant benefits haven’t been consistently demonstrated in humans, the benefits seen in animal studies continue to be generalized to people,” she said. “This is misleading and potentially harmful.”

“It has been hypothesized that CLA changes fatty acid metabolism, which in turn may influence the behavior of cancer cells,” said Gary E. Deng, medical director of the Integrative Medicine Services at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

“At this point, it is just a hypothesis based on laboratory studies without support from any controlled human studies,” Deng said. “Numerous substances have been shown to be active in laboratory studies but not active when ingested by humans.”

Deng said he doesn’t recommend CLA supplements for cancer patients “until there are good human studies; we don’t know the net benefit or harm of consuming additional CLA (to treat cancer).”

Like Webster, Deng emphasized that in CLA research, conclusions are often incorrectly attributed to real-life situations.

Medical experts say more research on CLA is needed to truly understand its benefits in weight loss or as a cancer treatment. Until then, they say healthy diets and exercise are the best medicine.

“There may be some benefit on body composition, but additional studies will need to be done comparing CLA consumption alone, physical exercise alone and CLA consumption paired with physical exercise to determine if there is a significant benefit,” Narducci said. “Hopefully these studies will be more coordinated so we can apply them to real-life situations.”

For optimal health, “Diet, diet, diet and exercise is key,” she added. And that diet should include naturally CLA-rich foods ― and probably not Cheez Whiz.